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‘What derailed our campaign was failure…’ – PBKS coach’s honest confession after sixth straight defeat
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have turned their attention to their final league fixture of the IPL 2026 season after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in an afternoon clash at the HPCA Cricket Stadium in Dharamsala. Despite creating strong phases in the match, PBKS were unable to sustain the momentum, with key moments slipping away in crucial phases. The result marked their sixth straight defeat, with their play-off hopes hanging by a thread and dependent on net run rate calculations and other match results. There is only one league match left. Punjab Kings are sitting on 13 points. Although their recent slump has badly affected their position in the table, they still have a mathematical chance of reaching the playoffs as they enter the final week of the round-robin stage. Fast bowling coach James Hopes pointed to the team’s inability to control key moments as the main reason for their downfall this season, highlighting how momentum slipped from their grasp time and time again. “I think what derailed our campaign was our inability to control the pace in games. Every time we looked to do that, we did something to hurt ourselves or get ourselves up. T20 is a game where it’s very easy to get winning streaks, and it’s very easy to go the other way. We had both emotions in this tournament, and now we need a week to regroup.” The Hoops also defended the team selection strategy during the season, explaining that every change in the playing XI was planned with balance and opposition match-ups in mind. “Every change we’ve made has been very measured. They’ve been thought out with the opposition in mind, and trying to keep our core like Arsdeep, Chahal, and our top four, and try to make changes around them to complement what they do. It hasn’t worked the last few weeks, and that’s the way the game goes sometimes,” he said. Despite the disappointing results, the Hoops insisted that the training environment and preparation levels remain strong, and that the immediate focus is on restoring confidence ahead of their finals. “Guys are training well, guys are planning well. It’s just that we get into moments where we get the game going our way, and it’s not happening right now. The boys had to regroup, stay positive, and believe. At this point, it’s just going to be about re-instilling that belief in them,” he added. Looking ahead to their final league match against Lucknow Supergiants, the Hoops admitted that PBKS are now relying on other results while acknowledging the missed opportunities earlier in the season. “We’ve put ourselves in this position, so we trust some other teams. We didn’t take chances in the last few weeks to put ourselves in the top four, and now we’re where we are and there’s no hiding behind it. Yes, we could have played better, but now we need to regroup and make sure we play to our full potential next Saturday,” he signed off. Punjab Kings will take on Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) in their final league match of the tournament on Saturday, May 23.
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